Coin dispensing hoppers are known consisting of a disc set at an angle from the vertical, which is caused to rotate about its center by means of an electric motor, and on the flat face of the disc, towards the periphery thereof, is set a series of equally spaced projections. The lower part of the disc rotates through a hopper that receives a supply of coins and the spaces between the projections act as receptacles for single coins which are conveyed by the disc upwardly to a station where they are ejected and/or counted. One known method of ejecting the coins from the upper part of the disc utilizes a finger connected to a fixed frame at the top of the disc and spanning a part of its flat face. The finger drives the coins individually, radially upwardly of the disc. However, in order to permit the projections to pass the finger as the disc rotates, the finger is either formed with an arched section or is provided with a slot in its side nearest the disc. This known fixed finger arrangement restricts the range of diameters of coins which can be used in the apparatus and thus this known apparatus can only operate with a limited range of coin denominations.
Another problem with the known apparatus is that if a smaller coin is accidentally dropped into the hopper, it can jam the mechanism between the finger and an approaching projection.
A further problem with the known apparatus is that difficulties arise in causing each receptacle reliably to pick up a single coin as the disc is rotated through the hopper. In order to achieve a reliable pick up arrangement, it would be desirable to make the projections upstanding from the disc by relatively large amounts to produce stirring of the coins in the hopper. However if the projections were made of this size, they would not clear the ejection finger.